Artist Interview // JACE JUNGGYU KIM

Jace Junggyu Kim is a Canadian painter currently based in Vancouver, BC. His career started off as an animator but his enduring passion is for traditional painting. His painting on canvas arises from the meeting and combination of various artistic materials; oil, acrylic, ink, spray paint and others. He posts daily sketches on instagram at @jacethekim.

Jace is one of the artists in the Journey-scapes art exhibition at the Gene Siskel in conjunction with the FAAIM 21st Annual Asian American Showcase April 1st through 14th, 2016. We asked him a few questions about his work and artistic journey!

What/Who inspires you?

Jace Junggyu Kim: I get inspired by everything around me to everything inside of me. My paintings work as a bridge between the reality and the subconscious. I often get anxious to paint my raw emotions and like seeing them personified by my brush strokes.

Jace Junggyu Kim: I am currently working on a commission painting for my client. The work is called 'Midas' lips'. I have sold the original and the client requested me to paint the same so I am struggling to recall the particular emotions and the brush strokes. The expression is different every time and really hard to capture the same vibe with it.

Jace Junggyu Kim: I have a major in animation. Coming from a such commercial art field provided me a tool to express. The contrast between working for companies and painting for myself really liberates myself from being constrained and limited. As much as I ran all the way around to do what I can truly enjoy doing, I acknowledged what it means to be working as a painter/visual artist. The effort and sacrifices I had to make to be where I am, are the reason why I do what I do now. I am not at my final destination and will not be there anyways since the journey is spontaneously continuous.